Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Wait......Return to Holiness



Our family is in a time of transition right now and so many decisions have to be made. Do we buy a house, build a house, or move in my mother-in-law's house? Add to this, I like to rush God for an answer in the process. Sometimes, I tend to over analyze things and find myself in a state of turmoil where decision making is concerned. I become grouchy with everyone around me if I'm not careful because I don't know what to do and then I can't think rationally enough to make decisions. Does anyone else battle with this? I'm certain there is someone out there that can identify with my situation... Here's the real deal breaker...God has already spoke to my heart about waiting upon Him and don't rush. Then what do I do? I rush and try to avoid the wait (smile). Finally, I arrived at a place of peace to wait upon the Lord and in the meantime (which I learned today is God-time) "Return to Holiness".

Do not despair...God is at work in me and speaking. He provides what we need when we need it if we will just seek Him to find it. He will do the same for you to my friends! I have a friend that called me about a month ago to tell me about a little book she found as she was doing some deep cleaning and moving furniture around. The book she found is called "Return to Holiness" by Dr. Gregory R. Frizzell. My friend was so excited about what God was speaking to her through this little book full of scriptural treasures! Soooo, I became curious with excitement too and visited the internet for my own search for the book. I found a website and saved it to my favorites, but for whatever reason did not place an order at the time for a book. I kept thinking I would download a copy to my iPad, but didn't. As God reminded me of this book again last week, I called my friend and just asked her if she happened to have an extra copy that I could get from her. She called a few days later after searching and did find one last copy that I could have. Oh my goodness...is this ever a great book! This is NOT just any book. This book is one of those quiet time treasures full of wisdom and truth that truly ushers you right to the heart of God. We must be cleansed and made holy through Jesus Christ! This book "Returning to Holiness" is further designed as a biblical strategy for overcoming church wide sin problems. Our churches can never go where we do not lead by personal example and experience. It is vital to understand that Jesus didn't die just to take you to heaven, but to indwell and empower you here on earth! So as I dove into this book and began preparing for the journey to be cleansed and made Holy...it starts with a must do first...be certain of your own salvation! I read on to find 3 scriptures with enormous relevance: (1) On the day of judgment Matthew 7:23 states that many who think they are saved will discover they do not know God; (2) According to John 17:3, true salvation consists of knowing Christ in a life-changing personal relationship; (3) People who are genuinely saved have a strong supernatural assurance of their salvation (Romans 8:16)

Reading on...I came across several questions for reflection. I found the following question to be so specific to me, "Would you be willing to live with less in order to embrace more God-centered patterns for your money?" As I read this question I have to admit it felt like God whopped me upside the head with something to interrupt my house hunting efforts. At once, I knew that a "wait" is in order. The wait isn't easy in the flesh, but knowing God has a plan that is perfect gives me strength to hold on and somehow waiting while seeking a place of Holiness is a place of contentment where priorities seem to take a supernatural shift.

Is God calling you to wait on something...as you seek Him and "Return to Holiness"?

Monday, March 14, 2011

The bitter sweet of this world~

We had an amazing day at Liberty Baptist Church on Sunday, March 13th! It's official!!! Greg Estes is the pastor of LBC and our family is so very excited about what God has in store. We were blessed with an amazing time of worship through song with Karen Peck and New River Sunday evening and boy was it gooooood! Love the sweet spirit of this group! Soooo, needless to say, this day will mark the kick-off for the Estes family and LBC as we embrace the call God has placed upon our lives to serve the families in this church and those in the community looking for a church home.



While we are rejoicing in the blessings of God, a half a world away there is a massive region of Japan suffering the destructive effects of a record breaking earthquake and tsunami. My heart becomes heavy with burden as I continually follow updates of the devestation and view overwhelming sights from the pictures being shared on national television and the internet. I feel so helpless in anything I would personally have to offer these people so far away, although very near in my heart. As I pause for a moment in search of what I can do, there is only one answer that comes to my mind...PRAY!

Also, the theme verse of this blog came rushing into my mind. Psalm 91:4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.